Embodiments disclosed herein relate to contactless payment systems. In particular, some embodiments relate to methods, apparatus, systems, means and computer program products for loading (or reloading) a contactless payment device with value. More particularly, some embodiments relate to loading (or reloading) a contactless payment device with value over a contactless interface.
Contactless payment devices, such as the PayPass® payment devices issued pursuant to standards developed by MasterCard International Incorporated, are becoming more widely used. PayPass® contactless payment devices (as well as a number of other contactless payment device schemes) follow standards, such as ISO standards and the EMV standards (available at www.emvco.com). The EMV standards set forth a security infrastructure in which payment device issuers create secure keys that are used to uniquely identify payment devices issued by them. The secure keys are also used by each issued payment device to uniquely identify and authenticate the issuer in payment device transactions. For example, in an online transaction (in which an EMV-compliant payment device is presented at a payment terminal via a contact chip card reader), the payment device is able to create a cryptogram that can be authenticated by the issuer, and likewise, the issuer is able to create a cryptogram that can be authenticated by the chip card. Unfortunately, these transactions require that the chip card be presented at a contact chip reading terminal (e.g., where the card is inserted into a chip card reader at a point of sale), as the transaction involves multiple steps and messages to be transmitted in several steps.
Certain types of transactions, such as transactions where value is loaded (or reloaded) onto a chip card currently require that such an authentication process take place, and therefore require that a chip card to be loaded be presented at a contact chip reading terminal. It would be desirable to allow contactless payment devices to be used in load transactions such that just a contactless chip card reader may be used while ensuring that the security and authentication features of the EMV standards be followed.
For example, one payment device application that has been developed and that is compliant with the EMV standards is a chip pre-authorized off-line load or reload transaction, where a chip on a payment device is loaded with value so that the value can be used in “off-line” transactions (i.e., transactions at terminals which are not in communication with a payment device issuer for verification or authentication of the transaction). An example of such an off-line transaction is a purchase of goods from a vending machine or other (typically) low-value transactions. A memory in the payment device stores information about the current value.
In order to load value onto the payment device, an on-line transaction must occur. Currently, the only way for a contactless payment device to be loaded with such value is for the contactless payment device to also support contact technology to be presented at an online transaction terminal which has a physical contact interface. Unfortunately, this requires that merchants or reload locations must deploy special dual interface (contact and contactless) reader/writers to enable consumers to reload value to their contactless payment device using the contact part of the card and terminal. Once loaded, the contactless payment device may be used to make purchases using the loaded amount using just the contactless interface which only requires that the merchant location to have just a contactless reader. What is required today is the use of dual-interface (contact and contactless) payment devices with the card's contact interface required for a load/reload transaction and subsequently the card's contactless interface used for all purchase transactions.
It would be desirable to provide an ability to securely load/reload value onto a contactless payment device in a manner that does not require dual-interface payment devices, and that does not require merchants or load locations to employ dual interface terminals. Further, it would be desirable to allow other form factor payment devices to be used in load/reload transactions. As an example, it would be desirable to provide contactless chips in cell phones, Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) or other devices and allow those chips to be loaded/reloaded with value so that they may be used in off-line payment transactions at contactless terminals.